Aviation mask



June 29; 1943. A. H. BUL'BQJLIAN 2,323,193

, AVIATION IiAsK Filed Sept. 22, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 II I 22 H. BuLbulLan.

Inventor-.-

June 29, 1943. I A. H. BULBULIAN 2,323,198

AVIATION MASK Fi1ed,Sept.. 22, 1941 a Sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 29, 1943 AVIATION MASK Arthur H. Bulbulian, Rochester, mm.

Application September 22, 1941, Serial No. 411,870

' 6 Claims. (01. 128-205) My invention relates to aviation masks and particularly to that type of mask wherein oxygen is continuously delivered to the wearer and which is designed to be worn at very high altitudes, up to 35,000 feetor higher, and this invention canstitutes an improvement upon the mask of copending application No. 388,482 filed by myself and Walter M. Boothby on April 14, 1941.

At the high altitudes at which the mask of this invention is designed to be used extremely low temperatures are always encountered, winter or summer, so exhaling valve mechanism which, in one form or another is requisite to permit some part of each exhalation to pass to atmosphere and thereby to suiiiciently reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere breathed, is certain to have condensation occur in or upon it. If this water is frozen it might put the mask entirely out of use, in which event 'death of the av-iator might ensue before low enough altitude could be reached in which to establish external breathing. It fOllOWs that it is of vital importance to provide means in connection with such a mask certainly to prevent any such freezing. Also the passages for permitting passage of the part of exhalation which goes to atmosphere-must at all times be large enough so that free breathing is not interfered with, and extensive freezing of moisture in said passageways which might restrict or block them must also at all times be certainly and efiectively prevented.

In a mask structure, such as here shown and as is disclosed in the aforesaid application, there is a marginal contour arrangement which is adapted to engage the face of a wearer over and aroundthe sides of the nose, across the cheeks and under the chin. When so engaged, a breathing chamber is formed which is completely sealed from outside air. In common practice oxygen is fed to a rebreathing bag from which it is drawn into the breathing chamber of the mask and from there to the lungs along with the first and most largely oxygen-enriched part of exhalations, to be followed by such amounts of atmospheric air as may be indicated. Exhalation will first fill the rebreathing bag and then go to atmosphere through the exhalation valve, where the difliculty above noted is encountered, both in the exhaling valve and in the air passages for conveying the gases of exhalation to outsideatmosphere.

It is a principal object of my invention, therefore, to provide a mask embodying both inhalation and exhalation valves contained within the mask. body, with means for protecting against such exposure to the severecold of the outside atmosphere as might cause freezing of the valves or restriction or blocking of the air passageways.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a mask wherein the valve casing, either for inhalation or exhalation, or for both, shall be caused to be projected inwardly into the breathing chamber and thus to be surrounded with the exhalation gases which are also warmed to some extent by radiation from the face of the wearer.

It is a further object of my invention to provide in connection with said valve casings means forcausing the gases of exhalation which pass through one or more valves in such casings to flow about and over the entire valve casing and particularly above the valve casing and about passages leading from the inlet tube or tubes for supplying oxygen and mixtures of oxygenand exhaled gases.

It is a further object of my invention to 'provide very large discharge passageways for the exhalation gases which passageways will extend passageways and to the body of the mask so that a radio microphone may be centrally positioned substantially in front of the mouth of the wearer.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof, and its novel features by which the requisite important and beneficial results above described are obtained will'be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating an application of my invention in one form:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective plan view of my mask construction as worn.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation view taken from the bottom of the mask.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 with one part brokenaway.

Fig. 5 is a view taken in section over one of the valve casings viewed inwardly to show the relation of the oxygen inlet passageway into the breathin chamber to the exhalation outlet passageway.

view along line form of connector mechanism employed in con-;

nection with the oxygen inlet ports.

As shown, the mask has a main body portion l provided with a nose receiving part II, cheek engaging portions l2 and I3 and portions for underlying the chin of the wearer l5, all shaped and positioned so that when the mask is held upon the face of the wearer by straps l6 it will seal up withlthe face a breathing chamber l1. Protruded into the breathing chamber, as indi-. cated in Fig. 3, are a pair of valve casin s l8 and I9. These valve casings are shown as containing a valve structure 20 which is composed of sponge rubber and which permits gases of exhalation to pass in one direction and atmospheric air to pass in the other direction under normal conditionsof breathing. Although this is a preferred form of valve structure to be employed with the applicant's invention, it is not to be understood that the porous sponge rubber valve members are alone contemplated. But the valve casings may each include combined inhalation and exhalation valve members of other types as may be desired.

In the formof mask here shown oxygen is fed through a tube 2| from a customary source of supply under pressure wherein the feed of the o y en is controlled by suitable and known regulating means, not shown. The tube 2| enters a tube 22 which leads to a rebreathing bag not shown; From tube 22 the oxygen and rebreathed gases of exhalation go to a manifold 23 and from thence through laterally disposed tubes 24 and 25 and connector pieces 26, Fig. 7, intopassageways 21 and 28 formed by semi-tubular extensions 29 and 30 at the sides of the mask body, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. These passages lead into the breathing chamber l1 about the valve turrets l8 and I9.

With a structure as above noted I have applied thereto an outer jacket which completely covers the inner mask body including all portions thereof. This jacket comprises a central portion 3| which extends forward to the nose-engaging portions as indicated at 32 and which in these parts directly overlies and contacts the body III of the mask as indicated in' Fig. 4. A collar 33 surrounds and closely embraces a central microphone chamber 34, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Tubular portions 35 and 36 extend about and fit closely upon the tubes 29 and 30 and help hold the jacket in position on the main mask body.

Between the central portion 3| and the side tubes 35 and 36 of this jacket member are portions projected outwardly and forming channels leading from the valve casings l8 and I9. These members, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprise cap portions 31-and 38 which are shaped and positioned so as to form spaces 39 and 40 above the valve members 2|], as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The chamber provided by these spaces is continued into leg portions 4| and 42 which provide large passageways 43 discharging to atmosphere at the bottoms 44 and 45 of the tubular extensions 4| and 42, as best indicated in Fig. 5.

The advantages of my invention have been indicated in most respects from the detailed description thereof heretofore given. The primary and fundamental advanta e is of course that with a mask structure having a breathing chamber to which oxygen is supplied and having exhaling valves and a central microphone, the exhaling gases are soprotected from cold that they cannot be rendered inoperative by freezing and the exhalation passageways are of such generous size that even if some ice were to form at the opening to atmosphere it never could have any suflicient volume to obstruct or substantially restrict the breathing openings.

A further object of my invention resides in the fact that the construction as a whole makes a symmetricaland relatively light mask' arrangement and that all parts of the breathing chamber are, by the use of the second mask body, well insulated from severe cold.

I claim:

1. A mask for use in coniunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising a main mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose, mouth and chin of the wearer, said mask provided with a central microphone chamber and avalve casing disposed between transverse planes embracing the microphone chamber, a valve in said casing adapted to permit passage from the breathing chamber of exhalation gases, and an outer mask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all of the main mask body, said outer mask body having a protruded portion which forms a chamber of substantial depth over the outer portion of the valve casing'and the valve therein, and a tubular discharge passageway from said last named chamber.

2. A mask for use in conjunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising a main mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose, mouth and chin of the wearer, said mask provided with a central microphone chamber and a valve casing disposed between transverse planes embracing the microphone chamber, a valve in said casing adapted to permit passage from the breathing chamber of exhalation gases, and an outermask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all of the main mask body, said outer mask body having a protruded portion which forms a chamber of substantial depth over the outer portion of the valve casing and the valve therein, and a tubular discharge passageway from said last named chamber, said discharge passageway extending downwardly along the mask body to the lower part thereof.

3. A mask for use in conjunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising a main mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose, mouth and chin of the wearer, said mask provided with a central microphone chamber and a pair of symmetrically positioned valve casings disposed between transverse planes embracing the microphone chamber, a valve in each of said casings adapted to permit passage from the breathing chamber of exhalation gases, and an outer mask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all of the main mask body, said outer mask body having a pair of protruded portions which form chambers of substantial depth over the outer portions of the valve casings and the valves therein, and tubular discharge passageways extending downwardly from said last named chambers.

- 4. A mask for use in conjunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising a main mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose, mouth and chin of the wearer, said mask body provided with a central microphone chamber and a valve casing disposed between transverse planes embracing the microphone chamber projected inwardly into the breathing chamber, a valvein said casing, said mask body having an e-xtemal breathing passageway which connects with passageways in the breathing chamber so formed as to cause gases of respiration to pass about the valve casing in said chamber, and an outer mask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all of the main the first mask body, said outer mask body having a protruded portion which forms'a chamber over the outer portion of the valve casing and the valve therein, and a tubular discharge passageway from said last named chamber.

5. A mask for use in conjunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising a main mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose, mouth and chin of the wearer, said mask body provided with a central microphone chamber and a pair of and symmetrically dispcmed valve casings disposed between transverse planes embracing the microphone chamber, a pair of inlet tubes located at either side of the valve casings and adapted to conduct oxygen and rebreathed gases into the breathing chamber at the sides and below the valve casings, a valve in each of said casings adapted to permit passage from the breathing chamber of exhalation gases, and an outer mask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all 'of the main mask body, said outer mask body having tubular portions surrounding said inlet tubes and having a pair of protruded portions which form chambers of substantial depth over the outer portions of the valve casings and the valves therein, and a tubular discharge passageway extending downwardly from each of'said last named chambers.

6. A mask for use in conjunction with oxygen supply at high altitudes, comprising an inner mask body having marginal portions for contacting the face so as to underlie the chin of the wearer and enclose and form a breathing chamber extending over the nose and mouth, said mask being provided with a pair of valve casings disposed between transverse planes across the center of the mask body, a valve in each of said casings adapted to permit passage from the breathing chamber of exhalation gases, an inlet passageway extending through each side of the mask to the breathlng chamber adjacent said valves, and an outer mask body overlying and held upon and enclosing all of the main mask body, said outer mask body being provided with portions extended outwardly from the main mask body to form chambers of substantial depth over the outer portion of the valve casing and the valves therein, said chambers opening into discharge passageways -formed by and between the main mask body and the outer mask body, said discharge passageways extending downwardly as themask is worn to a point of discharge to atmosphere at the lower limits of the mask body.

ARTHUR H. BULB'UIIAN. 

